Tribes of the Gaian Wilds
Known for it's exoctic species and unhospitable enviroments, the Wilds are larglely uninhabited by humans, but some uncivilized tribes dwell within the jungles. They vary in size, customs, and alignment, but most-to all tribes of the Wilds reject modern society and act very hostile towards any one who attempts to make a civilization or tries to teach the ways of the modern world. They also hold on dearly to shamanistic beliefs and most believe in mutiple and mystical gods. The Gruer A prominent tribe in the Wilds, the Gruer are expert steampunk engineers, taught by the revered Gaiain explorer (in the Steampunk Age) Roald Tesignerd, who discovered the tribe, and ultimately taught them the basics of engineering. Then, the natives treat him like a guest of honor, but when Roald began to bring more, and try and start a small city, the tribe rebelled, and killed everyone, and studied a lot of their inventions. They adopted engineering as a part of their culture, and soon, it became a big deal, and tribe engineers were well-respected. The leader, now, is chosen by how good of an engineer they are, usually switching between great inventors, due to new releases of inventions. The current leader is Mal-ghorg, who fashioned an 'extendable' spear, that, when thrust,e xtends an extra foot, and then snaps back into place. The Gruer are famous for their jungle machines, such as the Jade Tank, which is made by taking the trunk of one of the trees, and placing it on top of jade, which has very complicated gears inside that seem to shift. Large rocks are loaded into this tank, and as it rolls on prehistoric stone wheels, it launched these stones at enemies. Another invention, a little simpler, is a double-bladed spring loaded machete, with a pair of spriked brass knuckles in the middle. When the wielder chooses, they can launch the top blade at break-neck speeds, and use the bottom blade still, and still be able to punch. The Gruer also hold a valuable artifact, the Staff of Uzir. On it is the skull of Uzir, the first known leader of the Gruer tribe. Whoever wields the staff is said to have absolute power of the tribe. On the top of this spear is the skull, then a small gear of unknown origin, then, it is shaped from the fienst wood, and comes until a jade tip. The skull leaks with an eerie aura of evil, despite the staff's harmless effects. Y'tuk The Gruer's longest rivals, the Y'Tuk are a tribe of necromantic roots, and practice dark magic regularly. They also sacredly worship the enuk, or, jungle mammoth that wander the river-beds of the Wilds. The Y'tuk are known for the deadly revival of a deceased enuk, using only it's skull and ribcage. Using the dark arts, the Y'tuk tribe resurrects a fallen enuk in a skeletal form, besides it's limbs, which are replaced with shadowy billows. They are incredibly deadly and extremely useful to the tribe in wartime. A long-running tradition, maturing Y'tuk males are selected to go slay their first enuk, and, when they do, they take back the tusks, which are then permanently attached to their bottom teeth, giving them an almost orcish appearance. THe size of the tusks represents how old the enuk was and how good of a hunter the male is. The social system is very simple, the local leaders, hunters, warriors, and necromancers are high-class, while everyone else is a low-class, so most of the Y'tuk tribe strive to be a warrior, hunter, or necromancer. This has caused the Y'tuk to unknowingly form a large army of natives, most of them skilled in a certain area of combat, which makes battle with the tribe very dangerous.